‘Little Honey’: a Grevillea cultivar

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct plant, a cultivar of  Grevillea,  named  Grevillea  sp. ‘Little Honey,’ is provided.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

A new distinct cultivar of Grevillea, named Grevillea sp. ‘Little Honey,’ is provided.

Grevillea shrubs and trees come from Australia and are grown for their beautiful fern-like foliage and small tubular flowers. They can grow outside in mild climates such as California. The flowers of these plants grow in clusters at the ends of the branches. They are about half of an inch long and typically come in reds, yellows, or pinks.

The plant of the subject invention is characterized by its orange flowers, orange styles, and fine leaves with creamy-silvery undersides.

Grevillea sp. ‘Little Honey’ looks fantastic in a pot, makes an ideal landscaping plant and is suitable for all size gardens from the biggest to the smallest.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

A new seedling arose in a Burpengary, QLD garden bed of Dennis Cox and Janice Glazebrook in 1990. The seedling came up in this garden near a plant of Grevillea sp. ‘Honey Gem’ (not patented), which is itself a cultivar, Grevillea banksii×Grevillea pteridifolia, and Grevillea ‘Banksii’ (white dwarf form) (not patented). They are the suspected parent cultivars. The seed parent Grevillea sp. ‘Honey Gem’ is characterized by orange colored flower, orange style, broader leaves with yellowish undersides, and larger plant height (6 m). The pollen parent Grevillea ‘Banksii’ is characterized by cream colored flower, cream style, and more lobed silvery leaves. The new plant was grown by cuttings for three generations. This plant was selected because of its smaller growth form and profuse flowering.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

FIG. 1 Photograph comparing three different types of Grevillea sp.: ‘Honey Gem’, ‘Star Fire’, and ‘Little Honey’.

FIG. 2 Photograph comparing three different types of Grevillea sp.; ‘Honey Gem’, ‘Star Fire’, and ‘Little Honey’. This photograph is a view of the typical leaves of each cultivar.

FIG. 3 Close up photograph showing the typical leaves of ‘Honey Gem’.

FIG. 4 Close up photograph showing the typical leaves of ‘Star Fire’.

FIG. 5 Close up photograph showing the typical leaves of ‘Little Honey’.

FIG. 6 Photograph comparing three different types of Grevillea sp.; ‘Honey Gem’, ‘Star Fire’, and ‘Little Honey’. This photograph is a view of the typical blooms of each cultivar.

FIG. 7 Close up photograph of the typical blooms of ‘Little Honey’.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW VARIETY

Grevillea sp. ‘Little Honey’ arose in a Burpengary, QLD garden bed of Dennis Cox and Janice Glazebrook in 1990. The ‘Little Honey’ seedling came up in a garden near a plant of Grevillea sp. ‘Honey Gem’ and Grevillea ‘Banksii’ (white dwarf form). In 1989, the breeders took cuttings off their plant in 1989 and struck (propagated) them. Numbers of cutting were very small in size. These struck cuttings were potted up in larger pots, planted in 1990 and grown for two years and cuttings taken from them. This process was repeated to three generations. These potted up cuttings were then planted in garden beds on the breeders' property to ensure plant growth, height and shape were all consistent and that the flowering periods and flower color were consistent for all generations.

The time required to initiate root development of ‘Little Honey’ in the propagation tube is dependent on both the time of the year the cutting is taken and the hardness of the material taken, in the range of three to six months. Then, the root-letted cuttings are sun-hardened for further root development, approximately six to eight weeks still in tube. The rooted cuttings are then potted up into a smaller pot another five to six months in warm conditions (longer period if climactic conditions are cooler). Compared to other Grevillea hybrids, including Grevillea sp. ‘Honey Gem’, Grevillea sp. ‘Little Honey’ has a smaller, finer, and much slower root system. These aspects make the cultivar ideal for either large pots or confined spaces.

This plant is advantageous in at least the following aspects:

-   -   •Its attractive foliage     -   •Its unique pale flowers     -   •Nicely-shaped shrub     -   •Profuse flowering

Grevillea sp. ‘Little Honey’ is distinctively different from other known Grevillea cultivars. For example, a close variety of Grevillea sp. ‘Little Honey’ is Grevillea ‘Star Fire’, which is different from ‘Little Honey’ by plant height, flower color, and foliage. Table 1 presents a comparison of Grevillea sp. ‘Little Honey’ with the most similar varieties of Grevillea, which were used by the breeders as comparator plants for the growing trials.

TABLE 1 Comparator Distinctive Comparator Name of variety is characters of variety Closest Variety different by: ‘Little Honey’ characters Maternal Plant height; 2 m high; orange 6 m high; orange Parent flower color; flowers; yellow flowers; orange Grevillea leaf color; styles; leaves styles; leaves ‘Honey Gem’ leaf size. creamy, silvery yellowish on on the underside; the underside; leaves are finer. leaves broader. Other Parent Flower color; Orange flower; Cream flower; G. Banksii foliage yellow style; cream style; more white low or fine, long, thin lobed and silvery in prostrate form leaves. color. Closest Variety Plant height; 2 m high; orange 6 m high; orange Grevillea flower color; flowers; yellow flowers; orange ‘Honey Gem’ leaf color; style; fine, long style; broader, leaf size. leaves that are longer leaves; leaves silvery on the yellowish on the underside. underside. Other Plant height; 2 m high; orange 2.5 m to 3 m high; Closest Variety flower color; flowers; yellow coppery brown Grevillea foliage. styles; long, fine aging to red with ‘Star Fire’ leaves that are pink styles and silvery on yellow tip; leaves the underside. not as broad; leaves not as long.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following observations, measurements and comparisons describe the cultivar grown in Burpengary, QLD in open conditions on a gravel bed. Tube stock of each variety was planted into 200 mm pots of standard bark potting mix. The age of the observed plants is two years old.

The following description uses color references to The Royal Horticultural Society Color Chart (1986), except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Grevillea hybrid cultivar Grevillea sp.     ‘Little Honey’. -   Parentage: Grevillea sp. ‘Honey Gem’ and Grevillea ‘Banksii’ (white     dwarf form). -   Propagation: ‘Little Honey’ needs to be reproduced from a cutting to     maintain the unique characteristics such as flower, foliage, shape     and size. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant size.—Average height attained about 2 m: medium;             habit: sparse to medium bushy shrub; average width about 1.5             m.         -   Stem.—Coloration: green (RHS 117B); texture: pubescence             strong (hairiness). The exact stem diameter was not recorded             by the breeder, as recordation of the stem diameter was not             required under the breeders' citizenship country's laws at             the time of breeding. However, the illustrated variety and             comparators had a stem diameter of about 10-13 mm.         -   Leaf.—Mean length: 222.8 mm; mean width: 160.0 mm; mean lobe             width: 2.50 mm; degree of division: deep; variegation:             absent; color of lower side of leaf: green (RHS 139A); color             of upper side of leaf: greyed green (RHS 190A); margin:             smoothly revolute to the mid vein, lower surface enclosed;             apex: pointed, very narrow to narrow; base: 15 cm; texture:             degree of hairiness on upperside — very weak to weak, degree             of hairiness on lowerside — weak; arrangement: parallel             lobes; leaflet mean length: 250.6 mm; leaflet mean width:             159.3 mm.         -   Inflorescence.—Form: cylindrical; position: terminal or at             end of lateral stems; length: long, about 160 mm; attitude:             semi-erect; density of florets: dense, about 85 florets per             inflorescence; width: medium, about 85 mm.         -   Florets.—Length: 41.1 mm (tube length (mean 8.8 mm) plus the             style length (mean 32.3 mm)); color: RHS 34C, RHS 24D, and             RHS 6B.         -   Pedicel.—Length: very short to short, about 10 mm; attitude:             leaning away from inflorescence peduncle.         -   Perianth.—Color: RHS 34C; length; short, about 15 mm;             pubescence: present; overall degree of pubescence: medium.         -   Style.—Color: orange (RHS 24D); length: short, about 32 mm.         -   Pollen presenter (located at the tip of the style and holds             pollen).—Color: yellow (RHS 6B); shape: dome-like.         -   Ovary.—Pubescence: present; degree of pubescence: strong.         -   Ovules.—No seeds have been found.         -   Reproduction.—Cultivar appears to be unable to set seeds. To             the best of the breeders' knowledge would not be able to be             a seed parent, but could be a pollen parent.         -   Nectaries.—Size: diminishingly small, less than 1 mm, color:             yellow.         -   Fragrance.—No fragrance.         -   Fruit production.—No fruit production. -   Resistance/susceptibility: None known in respect of plant/pest     resistance/susceptibility. -   Tolerance: Frost: some tolerance (survived temperature of −7° C.);     drought: tolerant. 

1. A new and distinct plant, a cultivar of Grevillea, named Grevillea sp. ‘Little Honey’, as herein illustrated and described. 